My tortuous experiences in finding a lawyer specialising in publishing law to ensure my manuscript is free of libellous, slanderous, and defamatory content convince me that opportunities for such services deliveries exist. I am neither a solicitor nor a barrister; can I start such a business in the UK? I am a Chartered Engineer. Please advise.
Alasdair Taylor's Answer
This isn’t “reserved business”. Accordingly, under the laws of England and Wales you don’t need to be a solicitor or barrister to provide this kind of advice.
One issue you would be likely to face, however, is that your advice would not be protected by legal professional privilege (LPP). In other words, it would be potentially disclosable in litigation.
The protection afforded by LPP is very important to some clients, especially those with any level of legal sophistication, and it may be unwise to provide advice to any client without making clear the status of the advice from the outset.
For background on LPP, see this guide from Pinsent Masons:
https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/guides/legal-professional-privilege-some-practical-considerations